


Dive Right In

by LittleSweetCheeks



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alcohol, Anal Sex, Foursome - F/M/M/M, Multi, Not for children, Oral Sex, Orgy, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-11 17:25:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8999971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleSweetCheeks/pseuds/LittleSweetCheeks
Summary: Eyebrows creeping toward his hairline, Hotch found himself speechless as he was dragged into the room and greeted with what he could only describe as the lead-in to a drunken orgy.





	1. The Party

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a stand alone piece, but a continuation has already been started for some point in the future.

The case was over, for that they were all exceptionally thankful.  To get the confession they had needed though, the entire time had had to break up and scan through a mountain of disks of home-made porn.  Unlike most of the homemade stuff, the director had definitely known what he was doing and played to his actors’ strengths.  It had left more than a few of the team a bit on edge.

Emily and JJ headed for a liquor store and then back to JJ’s room.  The moment the door clicked shut, they both cracked open a bottle and reclined on the bed. 

For the first two rounds of drinks the conversation stayed firmly in the realm of discussing vacation plans.  By the fourth bottle, Emily was giggling and listing into JJ.  “Have you ever pictured any of the guys naked?”

JJ did her best to give her friend a blank stare, “Why would I do that?”

“Because it’s easier to picture having sex with them if they’re naked.”  Her tone implied that should have been obvious.

“That is totally a question Pen would ask, you know that?”  One eyebrow up, “Have you?”

Emily tried to open another bottle, struggled and frowned at it, “Sometimes my fantasies need a bit of reality.”  When the frown didn’t work, she tried for a hard stare.

JJ tugged the bottle away, “Stop, you look like Hotch when you stare like that.”  She opened the top and passed it back.

“I can’t believe you would say that!”  A knock at their door had her stumbling off the bed and pulling the door open.  Seeing Morgan, Garcia and Reid standing outside, she leaned back, nearly falling into the open closet, “Oh, look, it’s two of my favorite fantasies!  Are you here to play?”  She aimed the last question at the two men.

Morgan put his hands up, “What exactly did we walk in on here?”

JJ waved bottles in the air, “Drinks!  And some other stuff for later.  Emily was talking about who she fantasizes naked.”

Reid swallowed hard as Garcia squealed and rushed in, falling in a heap of giggles on the bed, and tried to back out of the room.  When Morgan caught his arm, he near-whined, “Morgan!  I’ll go get more beer.”  He hoped his wide eyed looked made him look sincerer. 

“Okay then.  Go.  I’ll time you.  You better come back.”

Reid fled for the stairs, bumping into Rossi along the way.

“Whoa.  Where’s the fire?”

“Oh.  JJ and Em are drinking in JJ’s room.  I’m going on a beer run.  Morgan’s waiting for me.  Garcia’s in there too.”

“How come I didn’t get invited?”

“I think everyone is.”  Reid vanished down the stairs.

==

Two hours later found JJ and Emily a giggling, drunk heap on one bed, Reid sprawled between them as Morgan kicked back on the other bed with Penelope laying on her back beside him watching the world upside down.  Rossi had finally appeared at some point during the evening, his own bottle of scotch of unknown origin in tow.  Morgan had been teasing Emily, trying to get details on the fantasies JJ had mentioned earlier.  His wild theories were what had gotten him booted from the group bed and onto the other one.  He smiled and shook his head as he watched Reid, who didn’t seem to be hurting too bad cuddled between the women.  The abundance of alcohol was starting to influence him, not that he minded much.  But he was here with coworkers, not in a club full of single women.

A commotion on the bed had Rossi looking up from his daydream.  He’d missed whatever provoked it, but Reid had JJ on her back, pressing a long, hungry kiss to her lips.  As the kiss went on, Reid sank into the blonde’s body, shifting with a hint of need.  His body was all too willing to enjoy the show they seemed willing to put on.

“Damn.  Look at you Pretty Boy!  Didn’t know you had it in ya!”  Morgan saluted his friend with the shot in his hand.

“You didn’t?  He’s pretty impressive.”  Rossi adjusted in his seat, admiring the youngest man’s skills.  “His real specialty is middle-aged divorced men.”

Morgan rolled to stare face-on at the older man, considering the comment.  “Wait… You and?”  He gestured to the bed.  “Wow.”

“You’ve never banged a coworker?”

“Of course he has!”  Emily grinned, crawling past her friends and crossing to the other bed.  She curled one long finger at Morgan, talking to Rossi as she did, “Just not with who you would expect.”  She sank onto the bed, straddling her partner and digging blunt nails into his shoulders.  “But he’s just as good as she believes he is.”  Pushing Morgan back, Emily mimicked Reid’s actions and pressed in for a heated kiss, emboldened by the alcohol flowing freely.  Garcia ran hands down the pair making out beside her.

When both couples came up for air, Emily felt eyes burning into her and turned.  Reid was staring at her with desire and lust.  Emily tossed her head back and chuckled, “You wanting to watch us?”

He blushed deeply and answered honestly, “Very much yes.”  When Emily nodded, Reid climbed off JJ and let her move to the other bed.  When the trio pulled their blonde friend down to start making out with Penelope, Reid couldn’t help but run a free hand down his own body.

“Are you going to just watch them or join in?”

Reid looked over at Rossi, he’d forgotten he was even in the room.  It was obvious the older man was just as aroused by the display the group was now putting on.  Eyeing Dave’s straining slacks, he asked, “Want some help with that?”

As Rossi stood to move to the bed, someone knocked on the door.  “Shit.”  He glanced around the room, everyone else seemed too far gone to even notice.  Adjusting himself in his slacks to hopefully make his situation less obvious, he went to the door.  When he tugged the door partway open, he found himself eye to eye with his best friend.  “Aaron, you’re just in time.”

Eyebrows creeping toward his hairline, Hotch found himself speechless as he was dragged into the room and greeted with what he could only describe as the lead-in to a drunken orgy.  “What’s going on?”  He turned to Dave who was watching the beds with half-lidded eyes and palming himself. 

“Have a drink or two.  They’re putting on a hell of a show and Spencer’s waiting for me.”  Dave stumbled back to the bed and collapsed next to Reid.

Spencer watched the exchange at the door and felt the room warm up.  There had always been some attraction to Hotch that he’d never acted on.  Sometimes he thought the feelings might be mutual, but there was never enough certainty to take that risk.  Glancing to the other group, he watched them strip each other naked.  Emily instantly dragged JJ to kneel over her face, causing the most glorious sounds to come from the woman.  Morgan, not wanting to be left out, straddled behind JJ and wrapped his arms around her.  One arm held her up so she wouldn’t collapse on Emily while the other hand started working her core right alongside Emily’s mouth.  The dual attack of masculine fingers and feminine mouth had JJ trembling visibly as she tried to hold back her climax as long as she could.  Morgan whispered into her ear as he pressed two fingers in as far as he could get them and then JJ just broke.  Her body arched back, pressing her shoulders into Morgan as her mouth fell fully open, crying out in ecstasy.  JJ’s cries were the only sound in the room for long seconds and then the room fell quiet, the only sound a collection of heavy breathing.

Morgan gently laid JJ into Garcia’s arms on the bed, taking care to make sure she wouldn’t fall off the edge.  He crawled to his Baby Girl and started sucking and nipping his way down her body.

When the bed he was on shifted, Reid rolled onto his back and was greeted with an aroused and panting Rossi climbing toward him.  “That was about the best thing I’ve ever seen.” 

Reid reached up and started unbuttoning the older man’s shirt.  Once the shirt was open, he started on his belt and pants.  “I need…”

Sitting on his heels to shed the clothes once they were undone, Dave asked, “What do you need?”

“I have no idea.”  He glanced over and saw that Morgan and Garcia were already moving together in long slow stokes.  Turning back to Rossi, something caught his eye. “Hotch.”

Hotch was standing at the foot of the bed, beer in one hand and the other clinging to the back of the chair.  He was chewing his lip, staring right into Reid.

Spencer began to strip his own clothes, “Hotch, come here.”

Finishing off his beer and reaching for another, he rounded the bed and then swallowed down half the bottle.  “Stop.”  There was only a trace of authority in his voice.

Reid froze in place, suddenly not sure Hotch was as okay with the whole thing as he seemed.  He watched as his boss used his free hand to start stripping him before polishing off the second beer and climbing onto the bed between Reid and Rossi and grasped Reid’s length in his hand.

Head tossed back, Spencer keened and brought his knees up and out.  Hotch’s hand around his aching cock was better than he could have imagined.  Large strong hands and calluses from handling firearms that rubbed in all the right places.  He barely processed the whispered voices before wet heat wrapped his arousal and sucked him in.  He was fairly sure whoever was doing it was trying to suck his brain out through his dick.  “Holy shit!”

Still pumping with his hand, Hotch rocked forward and smashed a kiss to Spencer’s lips.

Spencer tangled his fingers into dark hair and suddenly realized that it wasn’t Hotch sucking him.  Glancing down he realized it was Rossi. 

“Now how do I get in on that?”  A voice asked from across the room.

The wet heat left Reid’s member and Rossi asked, “Think we would be able to find some lube in here?”

The person attached to the first voice slipped away only to return several minutes later.  “Will this work?”

Rossi took the bottle and read the label, grinning, “Perfect.”  He snapped the lid and rubbed some of the thick liquid between his fingers.  “We should make this a family affair, get the others over here as well.”

The next thing Reid knew, Morgan was settled beside him on the bed staring up as Emily and Penelope teased and taunted his body.  He gasped when a slick finger breached him, dragging his attention away from his friend.  He panted and gasped and two strokes later another finger was added.  When he started pressing back on the fingers, they pulled away and Reid heard himself whine from the lack of contact.  His eyes popped open when he heard as well as felt Hotch, who was now straddling him, moan long and low.

Hotch started to rock above Reid, the feel of fingers pressing into him woke a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Spencer stared down his body at the cock dragging against his stomach.  He watched as Hotch rocked back, eyes wrenched shut, his arousal growing until he was stiffly poking into Reid’s stomach, leaving a wet trail as he went.

“Okay, Aaron you do Spencer first.”  Rossi’s voice filtered over the collection of bodies.

Reid let his knees fall to the side as Hotch readjusted so his ass was resting on the older man’s thighs and lined himself up.  He couldn’t help but gasp as his entrance was breached and he was slowly filled as full as he could get.  When the need got to be too much, he begged, “Please move.”

Hotch began to slowly rock inside Reid.

Rossi motioned to JJ, “Face Spencer or Aaron?”

She glanced between the two men, “I’ve already made out with Spence.”  At Rossi’s direction, she climbed onto Reid, finding the right position she impaled herself, getting leverage from Hotch’s broad shoulders.

The trio began to move in unison.  Hotch into Reid and then Reid into JJ.  Once the rhythm was found, Dave stood behind Aaron whose ass was hanging at the edge of the bed, lining himself up so his friend could sink backward onto him. 

Emily turned and watched the foursome beside her.  Spencer’s hands were running along JJ’s hips and back.  Hotch had her front and mouth.  Alternating between sucking nipples, neck and lips. Rossi held Aaron’s hips.  They were like a well-practiced, well-oiled machine.

Emily turned her focus back to Morgan, “How can that be so hot?”

He glanced from her to the group and back again, “Come here.”  He pulled her up and sank her down on himself in one slick move.  He watched as Garcia made out with Emily as the latter rode him hard. 

Before she knew it, Emily was teetering on the edge of her climax.  “My god, Derek!”

“Come for me Princess.  Come for me.”  As her walls fluttered around him, signaling her fall over the edge, Morgan let go and filled her to overflowing.  As he came down from the high with Emily resting against his chest and Penelope peppering them both with kisses, he heard the unmistakable sounds of the others reaching their pinnacles as well.

JJ was the first to go over.  The motions of Reid inside her and Hotch sucking and pulling at her and then his hand pressing in just the right spot on her bundle of nerves had he body again arching and crying out in bliss.  Her release made Spencer lose control and he held tight to her hips and pounded into her in short bursts before coming loudly.

The sight of the two younger agents reaching their orgasms made Dave unable to hold out any longer and he found himself grunting out his finish without much fanfare at all.

The whole group was still writhing together, coming down from their highs as Hotch still rocked into Spencer who was now getting sensitive.  At the bottom of the stack, Reid began to make a pained sound as Hotch did his best to get off in the tight space between all of the bodies. 

Always able to read a situation, JJ pressed her lips to Hotch’s roughly and reach down, tugging him free and pumping fast and hard.  She kept his mouth firmly against hers, even when he tried to pull away, until she felt his cock swell and twitch in warning.  She set his lips free and pulled him close as he filled the space between them.

Rossi was the first to move to the bathroom with Garcia on his heels, turning on the shower and swaying as he stepped under the spray, leaving the door wide open.  The mix of alcohol and sex was wreaking havoc on him, not that he was complaining.  Under the water, Penelope caught his lips and ground against him.  Without much thought, Dave sank to his knees and worked her to climax again. 

Morgan and Emily followed a minute later, stepping in just before Dave and Garcia stepped out.  The four traded partners in a quick make-out session.

JJ slipped off Reid and lay spread out on her back beside him, panting.  Hotch collapsed onto the mattress to her other side.  None of them said a word as they listened to the splashing of water as their friends moved around the bathroom.

When it sounded like the shower was freeing up, JJ and Spence climbed up and headed in, Reid making a face at the combined mess covering him.  Hotch followed a minute later.  In the cubicle, JJ washed as she watched the two me press close, light touches and kisses between them. 

==

Morning sunlight shined through the un-curtained window.  Drinking had continued after the showers the night before until everything was gone and everyone had fallen asleep.

Morgan turned his head away from the glaring light causing his head to pound but found he couldn’t move.  After several minutes he managed to pry one eye open enough to see a blonde head tucked against his side.  Turning the other way, he found a brunette pressed against him with another body pressed against her.  And as far as he could tell, everyone in his bed was totally naked.  Trying to think through the intense hangover, Morgan realized he felt like he needed a shower.

The brunette beside him hummed and shifted in a rhythm.  Morgan felt masculine hands between them and then before he could process what was happening, it was clear Prentiss and Rossi were having a morning quickie.  He couldn’t decide if it bothered him or not. 

The blonde to his other side suddenly pressed into him, hungry for lips and hands and seemingly anything else she could get.  Morgan couldn’t formulate words as JJ crawled under the covers and continued her assault to his lower body.

In the other bed, Garcia was waking up in a way she never imagined.  Tucked in the embraces of multiple strong arms, she could feel erections rubbing and dragging, teasing, against her core as they rubbed together.  Once hand had her top leg pulled up, allowing the two cocks to rub and bump together.  Her mind went blank as fingers pressed against and into her as well as grasped the members beneath her.  The three-way masturbation was driving her crazy.   As one man’s breath hitched and he let out a rumbling moan that came from deep within his chest, the pair kissed hungrily over her shoulder. The thrusting sped up and drove Penelope right to the edge as the head of the desperate cock pressed just between her folds as it erupted its load.

The mental and physical stimulus was almost too much.  As the hand working the two cocks sped up and the hand working her pressed fingers in and out, Garcia could hear her friends across the room start to cry out in pleasure.  Without warning, the other erection slammed into her right alongside the fingers that were already there, filling her to fullness.  Several frantic strokes and it was pulsing and releasing in her depths as the body it was attached to arched and shook with the force of it.

Once everyone came down from their highs, they pulled themselves up in twos and threes to shower again and head back to their own rooms.

==

Later as Reid sat on the jet headed home, he tried to remember what had happened between the shower last night and their wake-up this morning.  He’d woke up sore and suspiciously sticky.  When he couldn’t figure it out, he decided to just put it out of his mind.

 


	2. Four Weeks

Hotch flipped through the file on his desk.  He’d been at work since five after not leaving the night before until after eleven.  He felt like he was thinking through mud, his thoughts and movements sluggish.  Finally dropping his pen in surrender, he grabbed his coffee cup only to find it empty.  Again.  He was pretty sure this day was going to suck.

Just as he reached his doorway, empty mug in hand, the phone on his desk rang.  He teetered in the opening a moment, wondering if it would be worth it to just let the call go to voice mail _just this once_.  At the third ring, he decided to suck it up and answer the phone.  Crossing the room, he snatched the receiver up, “Hotchner.”

“Hey, Hotch, it’s me.”  A soft voice replied.  “I don’t think I can make it in today.  I’ve caught something.”

Hotch pressed his eyes shut a moment, “Okay, take care of yourself JJ.  I think something might be going around.”  He stared at the towering files on his desk, “Don’t worry about us here, I’ll take care of everything.”

“Hotch.”  She admonished.  “Don’t try to do two jobs.”

“I promise I won’t.  I’ll call you later to check in on you, okay?”

He could hear movement through the line, “Okay.  I’ll keep my phone close.”

“Bye.”  He dropped the phone back in the cradle and tried to remember what he’d been doing before.  After far too long, he realized he was still holding his empty coffee mug and shook his head.  As he headed back toward the coffee pot, he wondered if he was coming down with something as well.  And if he and JJ were both ill, how long before the entire team was down for the count?  They did practically live together and spent way too much time sharing the recycled air of the jet.

==

By the end of the week, JJ had returned to work.  Hotch had expressed his concern for her worn down appearance, but she’d instantly tossed back that he didn’t look any better.  Raising his hands in defeat, he’d agreed if she said she was fine, then she was fine.  It didn’t stop him watching her when he thought no one was looking.

Blessedly it wasn’t Hotch’s weekend to have Jack, so he spent two days trying to rest and get his head back on straight.  He wasn’t about to let whatever this was sideline him.

Monday morning, he had to threaten a very pale looking Emily home for at least two days.  That seemed to be long enough for whatever it was to run its course.  Monday afternoon, the team caught a case.

As the team filtered into the room, Hotch attempted a subtle assessment of each of his team.  He wasn’t willing to sacrifice the members of his team for a case.  Their health came first, but everyone else seemed themselves.  Hotch decided he would count them all luck if only part of the team ended up sick.

Reviewing the case, Garcia explained where they were headed before telling them she wasn’t up to seeing the carnage their UNSUB left behind and left them to review the photos without her. 

Down an agent in the field, Hotch had asked more of Garcia than normal during their case in Indiana.  Several times over the week they were away, he’d attempted to call her only to find her office vacant.  Knowing she did more around the office than just stuff for him, he didn’t dare bring it up to her. 


	3. Eight Weeks

A month went by and Hotch found himself almost asleep on his office sofa before lunch.  He didn’t bother moving the arm covering his eyes when his door quietly opened and someone slipped in, clicking it shut behind them.

“You look like crap.”  Dave turned a chair around and sat close to his friend.  “You’ve looked like crap for a while now.”

Aaron huffed out a chuckle.  “I feel like crap, actually.  I can’t shake whatever this is that I caught.”

Dave looked Aaron over while he wasn’t being watched back, “How long have you been sick?”

Finally lowering his arm, but not bothering to sit up, he met Dave’s eyes, “Few weeks, maybe a month or so.  And the thing is, I’m not really sick.  Not in the normal sense.  I just feel worn out and…off.”

“Has Jack been sick lately?”

“No, not that I know of.”  Pulling himself upright, Hotch squeezed his eyes shut a minute, trying to will away a bout of dizziness before standing and moving to his desk.

Rossi followed him over, “What was that?”

“What?”  Hotch looked up as he sat down.

Thumbing over his shoulder to the sofa, “That.”

“Oh, nothing.  I got a little dizzy sitting up.  I’m fine.”  He shook his hand, waving off his concerned friend.  His breath caught as the motion made his head spin for just a second.  “I need to get this paperwork done.”

==

JJ sat tucked in her office and pulled another hard candy out of her desk drawer.  This was getting ridiculous, she thought to herself.  She was clearing a bag of the little hard orbs a week now, something was going on more than a normal virus.  Finally accepting that being oblivious wasn’t going to do, she pulled out her cell phone and arranged a doctor’s appointment for the next week.  Once done, she just held out hope a case wouldn’t come up.

==

Emily dragged into the locker room and grabbed her toiletry bag, heading for the showers.  Due to the rainy weather, she’s hit the treadmill to get in her three miles and then had worked off the rest of her energy at the bags.  Before she felt energized but now, now she just felt drained.  This sudden loss of energy had been happening randomly ever since her illness.  It was like some days she could go twelve of fourteen hours without needing to so much as sit down, but other days walking to her desk wiped her out.  She was starting to wonder if something was really wrong.  After she was dry and dressed, Emily stepped into the lobby to make a call and arrange an appointment.  Heading to her car, she crossed her fingers it wasn’t something more serious.

==

The floor was empty as Hotch made his way toward the elevators.  Thankful for another day he could head home sort of on time, on time for him anyway, Hotch fiddled with his watch as he waited for the doors to open.

A sound to his right caught his attention.  Hotch hesitated as the elevator doors opened, he could hear crying.  Deciding he couldn’t bring himself to leave without investigating, no matter how shattered he was, he ignored the doors closing without him and headed toward the source of the sound.

The crying brought Hotch to stop at the women’s bathroom door.  Really, there could be anyone inside and he didn’t really want a harassment complaint slapped on him, but listening to the crying ate away at something inside him.  He had to investigate.  Knock on the door as he edged it open, he called out, “Hello?”  The bathroom was built with a privacy wall directly inside, forcing someone to enter fully and the door shut before seeing into the room, “Is someone in here?”

Garcia pulled herself up, rushing to wipe away makeup tracks on her cheeks.  “Hotch?”  She stepped out of the stall and hurried to the sink, focusing on rinsing her face. “Why are you in here?”

He was still hovering near the door, briefcase in hand as he watched her flurry of activity.  Finally, he answered, “I heard crying.  Are you okay?”

Pulling out a handful of paper towels, she turned her back to him, blotting her skin.  “I’ll be fine.  It’s- I’m fine.  No need to worry.”

Years of friendship and more years as a profiler told him that the truth was pretty much the exact opposite of her words.  “Penelope.”

Hearing her first name, a sob escaped.  She pressed the towels to her face to hide behind.  The faint sound of his briefcase being placed on the floor was the only clue she got that he was moving.  Before she could react, strong arms were pulling her into a hug.  “Talk to me.”

“I- I can’t!”

Hotch held her tight until her tears subsided, “I think you need to.  Whatever it is, it’s clearly causing you distress.”

Garcia pulled away from him, putting as much space as she could between them.  “You’ll think I’m… I don’t want you to think bad of me and really there’s no way you couldn’t and,” her arms were waving now, “And I like my job and I can just… I don’t know… figure it out on my own somehow.”

“I could never think bad of you.  And I’m fairly sure there’s not a lot you could do to jeopardize your job.  Please just talk to me?”  Eyes wide and brows raised, he tried to reassure her that she could, and should, talk to him.

Penelope chewed her lip.  When she finally spoke, her voice was a whisper.  “Do you remember that case a few months back with the porn guy?”

“I do.”

“Do you, umm, do you remember the party later that night?”  Her voice got impossibly softer as she spoke.

His face went blank as he thought.  There’d been a lot of alcohol that night, but he had a fairly good memory of what all had happened.  “Yes,” he drew out.

Her next words were so soft he almost missed them.  “I’m pregnant.  And I don’t know who’s it is.” They stood staring at one another for a full minute in the silence, her words pressing down on both of them.  “I take birth control, but nothing’s perfect.”  When he didn’t move or reply, she continued, “I told you you’d think bad of me now and now my job’s in jeopardy.”  She started to get worked up again, “I swear I won’t cause anyone any problems!  I can do this on my own, I won’t force anyone to be involved if they don’t want to be!  I can… I don’t even have to keep it if it’s going to be a problem, there are lots of couples looking for babies.”

Finally snapping back to the present, Hotch put his hands up to halt her rambling.  “I don’t think bad of you.  We were all consenting adults in that room.  And in no way is your job at risk.  We will work this out in time, but not tonight.”  Stepping forward, he took her hands, “Are you ready to go home?”

She looked up at him with watery eyes, “Yeah.”

“Then let’s go, I’ll take you home.”

**==**

Eight days later the team was in southern New Mexico having just delivered a profile on a preferential sexual sadist who was picking off elderly women.  The various members of the team had split off to collect their things for a late lunch somewhere with exceptional air conditioning, when movement out of the corner of his eye made Dave turn quickly.  Before he could open his mouth to say something, he threw out his arms as his best friend swayed and then collapsed to the floor.  “Shit!  Aaron!”  He knelt by his friend, “Someone call for an ambulance!”

Two hours later, Dave sat by Aaron’s bedside waiting for the doctor to return. He’d sent the rest of the team to eat.  “Why didn’t you say something?”

Hotch’s only reply was a dirty look.

“Look.  I know you haven’t been well lately, maybe you need some time off.”  Dave cut off as the doctor stepped in.

“Gentlemen, I think I have a suspicion of what’s going on, but I have a question or two first.  Agent Hotchner, have you been in Iowa recently?”

The two agents exchanged a look, “Yes.”

“By chance did you consume any alcohol that was purchased somewhere other than a restaurant?”

“Umm, yes.”

Dave had to ask, “What’s this have to do with anything?”

The doctor sighed and pulled over a stool, “Agent Rossi, you said Agent Hotchner’s been ill recently?  And then his fainting today.  A man in Iowa got arrested for drugging liquor bottles.  The chemical he put in the bottles negated any chemical birth control, he was trying to create a baby boom to save his dying town.  Any women who had sex within twenty-four hours of drinking all ended up pregnant.  Unfortunately, about thirty percent of the men who drank the drug also have been showing signs of sympathetic pregnancy.  The experts are saying that the first men who experienced the symptoms have all had it wear off, it took about five months.  They also say a cocktail of hormones for a month can override the reaction, but they have their own side effects.”

Hotch was speechless.  Finally, he asked, “So my choices are?”

“Another few months of essentially morning sickness, food aversions, exhaustion, maybe some slight cravings. Or. The prescription is essentially testosterone.  You could have mood swings, increased aggression, that sort of thing.  Either way, it won’t last long and then it’ll be back to normal for you.”

Aaron turned to Dave a minute, having a silent conversation.  “I think I’ll try to just wait it out.”

“Are you sure?”  Dave asked.

Shrugging, Hotch “I can cope.  But if the doctor is right, we will have bigger fish to fry.”  He slipped off the bed.

Dave stood to walk out with his friend, “What do you mean?”

“I already know Garcia’s pregnant.  But if the doctor is right, then JJ and Prentiss are as well.”

“Wait.  Garcia’s pregnant?  When did you find out?  Who’s the father?”

“I found out last week and…”  He adjusted his watch, “Think about it Dave.  She doesn’t know who’s it is.  Will the other two?  Do any of us even remember who all we had sex with?”

Rossi didn’t answer until they were in the SUV he’d followed the ambulance in.  “So now what?”

“Prentiss and JJ both requested time off at the end of the week for doctors’ appointments.”

“So they must suspect they could be pregnant.”

“I am thinking so.”

==

Stepping in to the restaurant the team was at, the pair were greeted and questioned by the others.  Looking around the table, Hotch decided to start with the person who would be easiest to talk to.  “Excuse me a minute, I’m going to just touch base with Garcia really quick.”  He pulled out his phone and turned back to the door.

“Afternoon Bossman, I heard you had to be taken to the hospital.”  She greeted him, worry lacing her voice.

“I’m okay, Garcia.  Nothing a little time won’t fix.  Listen, I found out something while I was at the hospital and I wanted to share it with you.”

“What’cha got?”

“I found out a man in Iowa got arrested for drugging liquor bottles with something that negated hormonal birth control in order to cause a baby boom in the small town.”  He heard a sharp intake of breath, “You were drugged.  This isn’t your fault.  I’m sorry that it happened like this. I just wanted you to know.”

“Thanks for telling me.”

Hotch glanced back in and saw the others watching him.  “I’ve got to get back inside.  We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Okay.”

==

After lunch, Hotch asked JJ and Prentiss to meet him to talk.  They found a private, room off the lobby in their hotel.  Once both women were seated, he closed the door and pulled the desk chair around so the desk wasn’t between them.  “I was given some information earlier and I feel it’s very important you have it.  I’m not going to ask any questions, just give the facts as I know them.  Okay?”

The woman both nodded.

“I was informed someone had created a drug to negate hormonal birth control and make it so any woman who took the drug and had sex within twenty-four hours was guaranteed to get pregnant.  The man was arrested after he’d drugged a large supply of liquor bottles in rural Iowa.”  He let the news sink in a minute before standing, “I’m going to go get changed before heading back to the precinct.” 

Once he’d left, pulling the door shut behind him, JJ turned to Emily, “I have an appointment on Friday to confirm my suspicions, but I guess it’ll be a formality now.”

“Yeah, me too.  So, does this mean Pen is pregnant too?”

JJ shrugged, “Must do.  If that’s the case though and it was while we were in Iowa… Em, I don’t think I know who the father could be.” 

Emily pulled her friend into a hug, “It’ll be okay.  Who did you have sex with that night?”

“Umm, I don’t remember having sex with Rossi.”  She blushed, “But I honestly can’t rule that out.”

“Well, I can remember Derek and Rossi.  But I’m with you, I can’t rule out the other two.”

JJ pulled out her phone, “I wonder how Pen is doing.”  When the call connected, she dove right in, “Garcia?  Em is with me.  Hotch just talked to us and, has he talked to you too?”

The blonde sighed, “He called me earlier but I told him last week I was preggo.”

“Do you umm,” Emily started, “Do you know who the father is?”

“No.  I don’t.  Does this mean the two of you are knocked up too?”

“We think so.  If what he said was true, then we are.”

“This is so surreal.”  JJ added.  “All three of us like this.”

Emily finally gave a half smile, “All four of them will be doting over all of us.”  She shook her head, “I have a feeling that’s going to get old.”

They all laughed.

==

Waiting by the hotel door, JJ spotted Hotch coming out of the stairwell and made sure their paths crossed.  “Hey, Hotch.  Wait.”  She placed a hand on his arm to get his attention.  “What didn’t you tell us earlier?  Why would the doctor have told you about the guy in Iowa?”

Hotch scanned the room around them before finally looking at the younger woman, “There was more, yes.”

When she saw he wasn’t going to be voluntarily forthcoming, she pressed, “And it has to do with you collapsing today?”

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Apparently, a small portion of the men who drank the tampered drinks presented with symptoms of… a sympathetic pregnancy.  It only lasts a few months.  He said it explains how I’ve been feeling before today.”

JJ tried her best not to grin at the forlorn look on his face.

==

On the jet ride home, Prentiss and JJ were asleep at the front of the cabin while the four men sat at the back playing cards.  Rossi leaned over to Hotch, “So, when will this discussion continue?”

Glancing at his cards and then at his friend, “Not till after Friday.  I think we need to do it over the weekend and somewhere everyone considers neutral.”  He gave a knowing look.

Rossi huffed and tried to hold back a grin, “Fine.  I’ll cook and everyone can come over.  At least my wine cellar should be safe this time.”

Hotch chuckled.

“What’s going on?”  Morgan was watching them talking.

Rossi jumped in, “Everyone is invited to my place Saturday night.  Food, relaxation, family.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“I’m not sure if I,” Reid started.

“You’re coming, Pretty Boy.”  Morgan cut him off.

==

Friday afternoon Hotch received a pair of text messages confirming things and early Saturday evening the team was gathered in Rossi’s back yard around a fire pit.  It seemed, for the moment, that the secret of what was going on had somewhat divided the team.  JJ, Prentiss, and Garcia were snuggled together on one side of the blaze; the latter still not quite making eye contact with him or initiating conversation.  Rossi was quiet, trying to override his urge to dote by avoiding the trio altogether.  And Morgan and Reid were joking and teasing one another, seemingly unaware of what was about to be announced.

Deciding not to draw things out, Hotch cleared his throat and stood.  “I was given some information this week about some events in a town we visited a number of weeks ago.  I’m sure everyone remembers the case we took in Iowa?  Well, shortly after we left a man was arrested for tampering with and drugging liquor bottles in the town.  Apparently he was concerned by the town’s dwindling population and to prevent the town from dying, he created a formula that when taken, would guarantee a woman would get pregnant if she had sex within twenty-four hours.  The concoction overrides normal birth control, so even women who were on it still would be guaranteed to end up pregnant.”  He let the information sink in a minute.  The five team members who already knew, stared expectantly at the two who were just finding out for the first time, unsure how they would take it.

“So… You three are pregnant?”  Reid was staring across the fire wide-eyed.  He tried to think back to that night, “Who is…?”

Hotch put up a hand, “That’s the little complication we seem to have here.  Yes, JJ, Emily, and Penelope have confirmed to me that they are all pregnant.  But we won’t know until after the babies are born who the fathers are.”

Reid looked like his mind was running in overdrive.  Rossi finally approached the woman and planted large kisses on each of their cheeks.  Morgan came around quickly and got up, wrapping each of them in bear hugs.

==

Later, as food was being served, when the burgers were passed by him, Hotch wrinkled his nose in distaste and frowned.  It would just figure that his body would decide to hate hamburgers of all things.  He filled his plate instead with hot wings and dove in, not really noticing the looks he received from around the table.

The conversation the rest of the evening centered around plans and who wanted what and who hoped who was the father.  The atmosphere remained light and jovial as everyone retired again to the back yard to enjoy the peaceful night. 

Reid for the most part had spent the evening watching the others.  He’d never wanted to risk having kids, too much fear in his genes.  And really, in recent weeks he’d started gravitating toward Hotch.  The pair had even managed one real, honest date.  As the conversations died down, he found himself wandering across the yard to where the older man was reclined in a lounge chair away from everyone else.  Coming quietly closer, he asked, “Mind if I join you?”

Hotch gazed up at him before shifting his legs to one side and patting the space.  “How are you handling all of this?”

Reid sat and considered his answer, “I want to panic, freak out a little, but it won’t solve anything.”  He studied his shoes, “And I worry about this coming between us.  Whatever this us is.  I had thought, hoped, we were starting something.”

Laying a hand over a slimmer one, “I had hoped so too.  And this doesn’t have to change that.  We don’t know yet how this will change everything, but I don’t see any of us looking to pair off now if we weren’t before.”

“Who…who can you remember sleeping with?”  He sounded small as he asked the question.

Hotch thought a minute, “I don’t remember being with Prentiss.”

“Me neither.”  He was quiet.

Running a thumb over soft lips, Hotch added, “I remember being with you.”

“You do?”

“I do.”

==

Garcia turned to her two friends, the three of them had sought peace on the patio, “So, who do you really think could be the father for you?”

JJ pressed the tip of her tongue against the front of her teeth and inhaled in thought, “That I know of? I know for certain Reid and then Derek the next morning.  And technically Hotch.  I have no idea about Rossi.”  She turned to Emily and raised an eyebrow in question, “Em?”

“Umm, I think it’s either going to be Morgan or Rossi.  But just because I don’t remember having sex with the other two, doesn’t mean I didn’t.”  She lifted her glass to her lips and mumbled, “God knows, that’s happened before.”

“I think I slept with everybody.”  Garcia frowned at her own glass.  “Did you know Hotch found me in the women’s bathroom freaking out about that?  And I stood there and told him and I was worried he was going to think I was some sort of horrible person.  But now that I know what happened…  I don’t even know whose swimmers I’m rooting for here.”

JJ leaned over so their shoulders bumped, “I would have thought you would be rooting for Morgan.”

Gesturing randomly, “I would have thought so too, but I don’t want to tie him down and he’d want a _relationship_.”

“I think all of them would.”

“Maybe, just not necessarily with us.”  When the others gave her a curious look, Emily pointed across the lawn to where Hotch was holding Reid’s face in his hand, pulled close and speaking to him.  Clearly in a private moment.

“I really hope that was a thing before the night we all got drunk.”  JJ tilted her head to study them.

“Why’s that?”

“I had money on it.  If they got together because of that night, I’m out twenty bucks.”


	4. Ten Weeks

Emily looked up from her paperwork and watched the person who’d caught her eye walk through the bullpen and out the doors.  Once they were gone from view, so glanced at Morgan who shrugged and shook his head in response.  They both bent down and went back to their files.

JJ appeared at their desks with an armful of additional files, making them both groan.  Morgan picked up five and glanced around, easing his chair toward Reid’s desk.  “Don’t you dare, Morgan.  I will tell him you did it.”  She frowned at him.  Both their heads whipped around when the man in question returned to his desk, fresh coffee in hand.

“Hey,” he was frowning and looking over his shoulder, “Did you guys see Hotch go through here a little bit ago?”

“Yeah, looked upset or something.”  Emily tried to sneak two filed over the desk divider.

“Sick maybe?”  Reid swatted her hand and returned her two files plus two of his own in revenge.  “I was just leaving the restroom when he went in.”

JJ shook her head at the attempts by all three agents to pass files to one another and headed back to her own office.  She stopped only long enough to grab something and then went in search of their wayward boss.  By the time she found him he’d returned to his desk.  “Hey.”  She sat in one of the visitor chairs.  “So, the sympathetic thing, it’s legit then?”

He smirked.  “I was given a choice, to deal with the symptoms until they wear off or take something and risk ending up like the Hulk.”

She raised her brows at the reference and then held out a bag to him.

“What’s that?”

“Ginger candy.”  She smirked when he took one.  “They are wonderful.  Help with morning sickness and the like.  I’ve been sucking them down by the handful.” 

“Thanks.  Up until now it’s been just feeling off.  And tired.”  He leaned back in his chair, resting his head back.  “According to the doctor, I have just a couple more months and then I should be back to normal.”  He studied her a moment, “How are you doing?”

“Aside from needing the ginger, I’ve felt good.  It’s weird right now.  I know I’m pregnant, but I don’t _feel_ pregnant.  Not yet anyway.”  She looked out the window to where her friends were working at their desks.  “I think I’ve had the worst of it thus far, it will be interesting to see who fares best in the end.”

“Well, if you need anything, at all, call me.  Okay?”

JJ smiled at him, “I will.”  She got up and left, leaving the bag of sweets on his desk.

Hotch stared at the blue sky out his window and daydreamed about what the future held. 


	5. Sixteen Weeks

Morgan froze in the doorway of the breakroom and watched the woman at the counter dipping oreos in yogurt.  “Hungry?”  He smirked and continued into the room.

Emily spun around, bowl held to her chest, “If this is all your fault, I will kick your ass.”  She scooped another oreo through the yogurt and stuffed it in her mouth.  “I can’t stop eating.  And it keeps changing and I can’t keep up.”

He raised his hands in submission, “I’m not saying a word.”  Crossing to the empty coffee pot, he moved to start a pot.

“You can’t do that.”  She swatted his hands away.  “Stop.”

“Why?  Why not?”

“The smell makes Hotch sick still.  Be nice.”

“Anything else I can’t have?”

“I wouldn’t advise drinking alcohol.  We will all come after you.  Oh!”  Her eyes lit up.  “Let’s order Thai for lunch!”  She dumped her bowl and cookies on the counter and fished around for a menu.  “I’ll call and place the order!”  She scurried out of the room, leaving Morgan to shake his head and chuckle.

Forty minutes later Rossi strolled into the conference room to find the table laden with takeout boxes.  He waited and watched as the women picked through the containers and made up their plates while Reid and Morgan tried, and mostly failed, to get their own food.  He chuckled when Reid’s hand got swatted away from a container of beef and the young man yelped.

“Oh, lunch.”  Hotch materialized at his shoulder.  “I didn’t know it had arrived.”  Rossi watched his long-time friend brush past him and sought out a plate of his own.  His eyebrows rose as he watched him pile his plate with something from every container before settling at the head of the table, plate nearly overflowing.  Once everyone else had settled, Rossi got his own meal and took the last chair next to Hotch.

“Hungry?”  He watched as his friend dug into his food.

Aaron swallowed and nodded, “Famished.  This is good.”

Dave just nodded, speechless at the way Aaron was packing away his meal.

Across the table, Garcia had struck up a conversation of her own, “So, next check-up and we get to find out genders.  Are you guys finding out?”

JJ and Emily both nodded.  “What do you think you’re having?”  JJ asked.

“I hope it’s a girl.  We could hall have girls!  Think of all the bows and sparkles!”  She squealed.

“Woah, woah!”  Morgan interrupted, “Boys, are great.  Going fishing and tossing a ball around.”

Reid, caught up in the moment, added in, “Building things, doing experiements!”

Morgan shook his head and slapped him friend on the shoulder, “C’mon kid, gotta start with the fun stuff!”

“That is fun stuff!”

“If one of these babies is your mini-nerd, I’m sure they’ll love it.”  Garcia tried to soothe. 


	6. Twenty Weeks

Reid was just walking up to the building when Emily caught up with him.

“Guess what!”  She beamed a grin ear to ear.

“I have no idea.”

“I found out what I’m having!”  She bounced on her toes, paper waving in her fingers.

“And what will you be having?”  He had stopped and faced her directly.

“A girl!  Now that I know it’s a girl, I am wondering who the father is so I can figure out what she’ll look like.  Until now I didn’t really care, but now… Now I’m curious.”

He gave her a hug, “Congratulations!  And I know it’s driving me crazy not knowing, I can’t imagine how the three of you are dealing with it.”

She pulled back when her phone pinged.  She pulled it out, “It’s Penelope.”  She tapped out the news to their friend.  Another ping practically sounded like the excitable blonde squealing.  “She goes tomorrow to find out what she’s having.”

Reid nodded, “When does JJ go?”

“She went yesterday, but baby wasn’t cooperating.  They’re trying again at her next appointment.”

He walked arm in arm with her up to the sixth floor and to their desks.  “We should have dinner to celebrate making it this far.”

“We should!”

==

The dinner got rescheduled three times before it happened.  In the meantime, Hotch started getting pressure to find replacements for the women and he been cornered into one closed-door meeting with a few higher-ups to dispel some rumors that had started spreading.

The assistant director was frowning at him, “Agent Hotchner, are you aware of the rumors circulating about your team and yourself as of late?”

“I honestly try to avoid listening to rumors, sir.”

“Well, let me enlighten you.  There is a rumor that your team is so close because they all are in relationships with one another.”

“As far as I know, no one is currently or has previously dated another team member.  We’re close because we work together easily fifty hours a week and we travel together over twenty weeks a year.  It’s hard to find other people who understand that sort of life.”

“So, it’s not true then that the female members of your team are in fact pregnant by other members of your team?”

“I don’t believe it’s my place to guess as to their bedroom activities.”

“Then who fathered their children?”

“They haven’t felt the need to share that with me.”

“You didn’t ask?”

“No, sir.  It wasn’t necessary.”

The balding man shifted in his chair, “I guess I will have to talk to the other members of your team directly then.”

“You will do no such thing without me be present with them.  I will not have you upsetting them just to get information that you don’t actually need to know.”

“Protecting yourself Hotchner?”

“No, sir.  I would like to remind you my bar association status is still active, if they wish to have me present, it is within their right.”  Hotch stood and leaned forward ever so slightly onto his toes, giving the impression of looming over the man at the desk without actually looking like he was doing so.  “Now, I have a team to manage and temporary agents to meet with.”


	7. Thirty Weeks

Rossi locked his car and made his was across the garage, stopping at the sight of one Emily Prentiss struggling to juggle her assortment of bags and files, “May I help?”

She spun around in surprise, finally dropping her things.  “You know what?  Yes, yes you may help.  I give up!”  She tossed her hands in the air. 

He chucked, “Here.” He handed her her purse and travel cup.  “I’ll get the rest.”  Hoisting her go-bag onto her shoulder he asked, “What’s in here?  You aren’t always carrying bag this heavy, are you?”

She shrugged, “I keep having to go up a size in clothes so it’s just been easier to pack what fits now plus a size bigger.”

He scanned her head to toe, noticing how round she’d gotten, and kept his mouth firmly shut on the matter.  “Well, I’ll carry from now on.  And anything else you need carried for that matter.”  He waited for her to nod she was ready to head in before resuming his stroll into the building. 

As they reached the elevator, they ran into Garcia.  Emily gave her friend a look, “I so hate you right now, you know.”

“What?  Why?”

Emily reached out and rubbed her friend’s tiny belly, “you barely look pregnant at all while I look like I’m going to give birth to a house.”


	8. Thirty-Four Weeks

The team, along with three new faces, were crammed round the table in the conference room.  Once everyone was in and settled, Hotch stood, “First, I want everyone to welcome Agents Dan Connors and Will North, they will be replacing JJ and Emily during their maternity leaves.  Until then they will spend some time alongside us learning the job and how we do things.  And this is technical analyst Jeff Smith, he has already been vetted by Garcia and she promises he’s almost as good as she is.”  Everyone chuckled.  “From here on out,” he spoke directly to the three women, “you will no longer be traveling with us on cases out of state.  Anything we can drive to, you will still be able to travel with us.  The rest of the time you will help us from here.”

==

JJ pushed backward in her desk chair with her heels.  Leaning back, she was just able to reach where she’d sat her bottle of water the last time she’d been up.  Glancing around first to see if anyone would catch her, she pushed back just a bit further, tipping the chair back, and snagged it with her fingertips.  “Jackpot!”  She chuckled.

She and her friends had been comparing notes, every day of how things were going, it seemed that each of them had something to be envious of and right now JJ was green with envy that the others were able to find out the gender of their babies and she still didn’t know.  It was driving her a little crazy.

Just the previous weekend, the entire team had met up at Emily’s loft and had helped decorate.  The room had been covered in happy little birds.  Assuming they didn’t get a case, everyone was headed to Penelope’s next to do the same thing.

==

Garcia had her feet up and was reviewing files, showing Jeff how to access the databases she used and the programs she’d created.  “They’ll go easy on you, I promise.  And you won’t be in here flying solo too long, I’ll be back from leave before you know it.”

“You should take your time, enjoy being home with your baby.”  The red-headed man answered.

She frowned at him slightly, “I’ll miss being here.”


	9. Thirty-Nine Weeks

Emily decided the only word that could describe how she felt lately was miserable.  Everything was either too hot, too stuffy, or too much effort.  She was at the point where she loathed having to go up to the conference room, it felt like she was practically hoisting herself up the stairs.  Finally at the top of the steps, she shifted the stack of files in her arms and waddled- she’d been upset to find that was really the only word to describe it- into Hotch’s office to hand them over.

Hotch opened his mouth to speak and then snapped it shut again to give himself time to consider his words.  Eventually he settled upon, “Are you done?”

“Yes.”  She handed him the stack and sat down.  “I’m done.  Finished, I surrender.” 

He gave a slight grin, “It won’t be much longer.  I- ah- I see you gave up shoes.”

“They hurt, but then, everything hurts. At least JJ looks just as miserable as me I suppose, though it would be nice if Garcia wasn’t floating around here like pregnancy was a breeze.”  She finally smiled back at him.

Hotch decided he wasn’t about to comment on that, “So what’s the plan for you when you go into labor?  Are you calling someone?”

“Derek said he’d come be with me.  He managed to come to two birthing classes and even behaved himself.  I’m not really worried about the coaching part, you know?  I just don’t want to be in there alone.”

“I understand.”

==

JJ had taken the day off to finish cleaning her house.  Nesting, Reid had called it right before she tossed a pencil at him.  She didn’t care, all she knew was the kitchen floor was gross and needed scrubbed.  So at dinnertime, she found herself on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor.  When her whole body just started to ache, she figured it was from crawling around on the hard tiles.  The ache was bearable enough that she didn’t really give it any thought as she worked, but it was constant.  Like she’d bruised her whole body all at once.

As evening rolled on, JJ finished the floors in the bathrooms and the laundry room as well before finally collapsing onto her couch.  She didn’t stay there long before deciding she really needed a shower to clean the grungy feeling off.  Standing under the spray for twenty minutes, JJ was thankful for a tankless water heater.  The water felt good but it wasn’t quite enough so leaning forward, she dropped the plug into place and let the tub fill up. 

==

One arm looped around Morgan’s Garcia was giggling at his story as they made their way out to the cars.  They had standing plans to hang out and watch cheesy horror movies once a week.  They had both stopped by and let Hotch know they were turning off their phones for the night so they could enjoy what was possibly going to be their last evening to hang out for a while.

==

The water finally turned cold and JJ still hurt.  Pulling herself upright to drain the water, she realized, even her fingers hurt.  Now was not a good time to come down with the flu or something, she thought to herself as she pulled up and wrapped her robe around herself.  She sat on her bed and pulled her phone off the side table, dialing her neighbor Lacey.

“Hey, JJ, what’s up?”

“I don’t feel well, I think I’m coming down with something.  I ache all over.”  She shivered slightly against the chill across her damp skin.  “Could you come over for a minute?”

“Are you sure you’re not I labor?”

“It’s isn’t coming and going?”  JJ brushed back her damp hair, “It just hurts.  Everywhere.  Even my hands and feet.”

“I- I’m sorry, JJ, I’m in New York right now, I’m not home.  I can come, but it’ll take a few hours with traffic.”

JJ frowned, trying not to pout, “It’s okay Lacey, I’ll just lay down and wait it out.  I’ll get some crackers and water.”

“Okay.  I’ll check up on you later, okay?”

“Okay.  Night.”

“Night.”

JJ went in search of water and crackers before settling back into bed.

==

Hotch had his socked feet up on the coffee table, laptop and files spread around him, when the phone rang.  He took off the reading glasses perched on his nose before fishing out his phone from a stack of papers, “Hello.”

“Hotch?  It’s JJ.  I- um- This is so silly.” 

“What’s going on JJ?”

“I haven’t felt well all evening and I’m not really feeling worse, but I’m not feeling better and I was starting to freak myself out thinking I should go to the hospital.  My neighbor isn’t home and I couldn’t get ahold of Pen and I wasn’t sure where to turn next.”

He glanced at the clock on the wall which read just after two in the morning, “How long have you been like this?”

“Um, dinnertime?  Maybe five or six.  I’m sorry if I woke you up.”

“You didn’t.  I’ll come get you and take you in, if that’s what you want.  Jack is spending the night with the boys next door, so I’m just doing performance reviews.”

“Are you sure?”

“JJ.  Do you feel like you need to go?”

“Yeah, I do.  I don’t know why, but I do.”  She felt her eyes well up with unexplainable tears.

“Then I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

==

JJ felt every bump in the road as they drove to the hospital.  Each time the vehicle managed to hit a pothole, she gripped the handle on the door.

“JJ?”

She didn’t turn her head, kept facing forward.

“Can you talk to me, JJ?  What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.  I just hurt.”

He nodded, even though he was sure she couldn’t see the movement and pressed a little harder on the pedal.

==

Since she was full term, the ER staff had sent her directly to labor and delivery, bypassing the ER altogether.  As a nurse strapped a monitor on her and got basic information, Hotch stepped into the hall to text Reid to let him know where they were.

“Sir?”  The nurse waited till he looked up, “You can go back in now.  The doctor will be in in just a minute.”

“Thanks.”  He tucked away his phone and returned to JJ’s room.

Ten minutes later the doctor, a young woman about JJ’s age, arrived.  “Let’s see if the monitors say anything here.”  She pulled out the paper and looked it over, “Well, Jennifer, it looks like you’re in active labor.”

“What?  I haven’t had any contractions.  It’s just one constant all-over ache.”

“Well, according to this, you’re well into active labor, these are coming about four minutes apart.  When did the pain start?”

“About nine hours ago I think.”  She answered.

The doctor moved to the bed, “You’ve probably been in labor that long, it’s just presented a little differently, there’s nothing wrong with that.  Why don’t we have a look to see how far you’re dilated?”  She patted JJ’s knees.

“I’ll step outside.”  Hotch ducked out quickly.  He checked his phone and saw that Reid was on his way.  He replied and asked if his lover knew who JJ’s birth partner was.

When the doctor left, Hotch went back in, “What’d she say?”

JJ stuck her lip out, “It won’t be long now.  Maybe a couple hours.  “I’m at an eight and the way everything looks, I could change fast.”

He nodded, “Reid’s on his way, I hope that’s okay.”

“Yeah.  My friend Lacey was going to be my partner, but she was in Ne York earlier this evening.  I don’t know if she is even back yet.”

“Well, Reid and I will be here until the baby’s born, however much you’re willing to have us around.”

She smiled up at him, “Thanks.”

==

Garcia woke up sprawled out on her bed to the sound of her tablet pinging incessantly.  Stretching to reach it, she tapped the screen and found a message Hotch had sent in the wee hours of the morning letting them know JJ was in labor.  “Holy crap!  Morgan!”  She assumed he was asleep in the next room.  “Derek!”

There was a thud as someone ran into a piece of furniture and then her friend was stumbling into the room, “What?  Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, JJ’s having her baby.”  She held up the tablet.  “We need to call Hotch.”  Standing, she turned toward the bathroom while Morgan went in search of his phone. 

When she reappeared, Morgan was ending the call, “Reid had the phone, Hotch is in with JJ and he thinks she pushing or very close to it.  By the time we get there, we’ll be able to meet the baby.”

“Then let’s go!”  She scrambled for clothes.

“Hey, now wait Mama, you need breakfast.  There’s no rush.”

==

Reid knocked gently on the door.

“Come in.”

He peeked around the corner, “Morgan called, Garcia got your message from earlier.  They’re on their way.”  He took in JJ exhausted in the bed, hair damp and cheeks flushed.  “How are you?”

As he approached, JJ took his hand, “We’re taking a little break.  This little one seems a bit stubborn and then we’re going to try a different position.  The doctor thinks that might help move the baby around.”  As if on cue, a nurse came in with an odd contraption and started hooking it to the foot of the bed.  “I hope this works.”

Hotch moved to stand next to his lover and the pair watched as the nurses helped position JJ in a squatting position, leaning on the bar.  One nurse waved them over, “I need someone to stand in front of mom here and help her stay leaning on the rail.  If you’re both staying, the other of you can come around and I’ll show you how to put some gentle pressure on her back to help ease the pain.” 

Hotch and Reid exchanged a look.  Spencer stepped up, “Who do you want, JJ?”

She gave him an exhausted smile, “Come here, Spence.”  When he got close enough she gripped his hand.

Thirty minutes later, leaning against Spencer, JJ delivered a baby boy.  Falling carefully back onto the bed, tears of relief trailed down her face.  “He’s here.”

“He’s perfect.”  Spencer was watching the baby be cleaned up and weighed.  When the nurse finished, she handed the wrapped bundle to him, “Well, I don’t think he’s Derek’s.”  He settled the baby into JJ’s arms.  “Got a name picked out?”

“Umm.”  She brushed her fingers though the dusting of hair on the baby’s head.  “I was thinking Daniel, what do you think?”

Both men nodded and all three looked up as the remainder of their team joined them.  The remaining nurse’s eyes widened, “Are we going to need more rooms?”

Everyone chuckled and shook their heads.  Rossi leaned in to see the baby, “Well, Morgan, looks like you’re out of the running on this one.”  He planted a kiss on the baby’s head and then JJ’s cheek.  “He’s perfect JJ.”

“Thanks.  The doctor said we’ll get the DNA results in about two days.”

“Well, until we know who gets to claim this precious little one, I think we should all get to have a snuggle.”  He put his hands out and waited until she handed Daniel over.

Garcia appeared from the bathroom with a faltering grin on her face, “We might want to take that nurse up on her offer.”

All eyes turned to her.  “What’s up?”  Morgan asked.

“My, um, my water broke.”

==

As dinnertime approached, the BAU team was settling into a rhythm on visiting JJ and baby Daniel at one end of the maternity floor, sitting with the increasingly anxious Garcia at the other end, and relaxing as best as they could in the small waiting room halfway between.  After his initial time holding the baby, Reid had stepped back and let the others be more hands-on while Morgan was shouldering the bulk of Garcia’s anxieties.

Hotch entered the waiting room with a cup of coffee in his hand and frowned.  Prentiss was curled up on the small sofa against the back wall asleep in a position that couldn’t possibly be comfortable.  Finding the blanket someone had commandeered earlier, he draped it over her and gingerly stepped back.  Just as he took a seat away from her, Rossi stepped into the room.  “Hey.”

Dave nodded mutely.

“What?”

“The doctor stopped me in the hall outside Garcia’s room.”

Aaron drew in a deep breath and heavily let it out, “And?”

“The baby’s heartrate keeps dipping and she’s stopped progressing.  Since they told her that news, apparently now her blood pressure is edging up.  She’s stressed out and the anxiety is starting to snowball.”

He closed his eyes and dropped his head forward to his chest.  “I feel responsible.”

“For what?”  He finally took a seat across from his friend.  “For what, Aaron?”

“This whole mess.  It’s not fair to any of them.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s be honest, Dave, this job is bad enough without being a single parent and I… Being a single parent because you accidentally got pregnant is viewed worse than being a single parent because of a divorce or death.  And some people will judge the situation… wrong.”

“Aaron?”

After a moment of quiet, Hotch finally raised his eyes to Dave’s. “Yeah?”

“Have you met the women on this team?”

He couldn’t help the lopsided smirk and the chuckled.  “Yeah, I know.”

“Well, I’m going to go visit JJ, check on Reid.”

“I think Daniel’s his.”  Aaron looked up as Dave stood.

“Me too.  I think the Kid does too, maybe that’s why he’s freaking out but refuses to leave her side.  If so, he’ll be a good dad.”

“Yeah.  Another Spencer Reid.  Just what the world needs.”

“Dear lord, no it doesn’t.”  Rossi shook his head and vanished down the hall.

Hotch considered his coffee for a while before finally tossing the remainder and checking on Emily one last time before making his way to Garcia’s room.

Standing just outside the door was Morgan.

“Everything okay?”

“I just needed a minute.”  He dropped his head back against the wall.  “I agreed to be with Emily but… I never thought about things going wrong, you know?  She’s upset in there and I don’t know what to do to calm her down.  The doctor said she needs to calm down.”

He glanced toward the mostly closed door, “What works normally for you?”

“Uhh,” his ears turned pink.

Hotch raised one brow.

“Cuddling, you know, spooning.”

Aaron waved a had to say, go on then and followed his friend into the hospital room.

==

Morgan was waiting outside the operating room donning a yellow gown, waiting to be told he could come in.  A nurse finally waved him in and showed his where to sit by Garcia’s head.  “How are you holding up, Baby Girl?”

“I wish this was over and she was in my arms.”

“I know, just a few more minutes though.”  He brushed her hear back.  “I can’t wait to hear what you’ve named her.”

She gave him a small smile, “I have a couple names picked out, we’ll have to see her first.”

Morgan planted a kiss on her forehead. “Can’t wait.”

“Okay Miss Garcia, you’ll feel some pressure and us moving around and then In just a minute, you’ll see your baby.”

“Okay.”  She Pulled a bit of a face as she felt the doctor begin.  “This is so weird.”  She tried to focus on what was going on beyond her view until she heard a nurse declare, “She’s here!”

Morgan strained his neck to get a peek at the crying baby, but couldn’t see past the staff.  “She sounds good, Garcia.”

“She’s a petite little thing.”   Nurse replied, “but looks good.”

Morgan’s head whipped around to face Garcia when her hand loosened in his, her eyes were shut.  “Penelope!”  Suddenly alarms went off.

“Sir, we need to ask you to leave.”  A pair of nurses herded him out and left him standing alone.

It felt like hours later when the doctor found Morgan sitting in a hard-plastic chair, head in his hands.  “Sir?”

“Is she okay?”  He stood.

“She’s recovering now.  The placenta had started to detach early and we didn’t notice till the baby was out.  It’ll take time but she’ll recover.  I would advise against her have more children right away, maybe give her body time to heal.”

He nodded, “And the baby?”

“She went to the nursery.  Do you have a name for her?”

“Penelope was going to decide when she saw her.  Has she seen her yet?”

The doctor shook her head, “Not yet, she’ll be able to tomorrow once she’s recovered a bit.”

Morgan frowned, “Can I go see her?”

“Sure.”

==

Morgan made a detour to JJ’s room where he found the others and shared the news.  Everyone, including JJ in a wheelchair holding Daniel, made their way to the nursery to peer in the window.  When one of the women staffing the room noticed them, Morgan held up his ID bracelet he’d gotten along with Penelope and the woman crossed the room and pointed to a tiny bundle in one cot.

“She’s so tiny.”  JJ looked from the little girl down to her son. 

Hotch smiled over her shoulder, “They’ll grow.”

Rossi kept glancing from one baby to the other.  When Hotch stepped away from the others for a moment, he leaned in to his friend, “Is it just me or…?”

“I see it too.”


	10. Forty-One Weeks

Emily Prentiss prided herself on being a patient person.  Her job meant sometimes she had to wait weeks or even months for something to happen. It was part of life.  But this was different.  Her friends, who conceived at the same part she did, were sitting at home with two-week-old babies now and she was leaving yet another doctor’s appointment after being told, ‘any day now’ and ‘just be patient’.

She was over being patient.

DNA for baby Daniel and baby Charlotte had come back just as they were discharged declaring one Spencer Reid officially the father of both.  Her friend had barely spoken since.  The last time Emily had spoken to Hotch, Reid was out on paternity leave bouncing between both women’s homes and his own, barely having time to spend with Aaron.  Hotch was trying to run a unit made up mostly of temp agents and agents who were often distracted.  Hotch had admitted he was more distracted than normal, worrying first about Spencer and then everyone else. 

Deciding that wallowing in her own misery was a waste of time, Emily squeezed into her car and pointed it toward Pen’s apartment.  If she couldn’t wrap her arms around her own baby yet, she’d at least get some practice in cuddling someone else’s.

==

Dave stood in the doorway and watched his best friend staring out the window at nothing.  Despite how happy he looked when around the others, now he just looked tired.  Drained.  Eventually he rapped a knuckle on the door and stepped in, “Aaron?”

“Hn?”

Rossi softly stepped across the carpeted space until he was almost in front of his friend.  “Aaron.”

There was a delayed reaction before his eyes crept up to Dave’s, “Yeah?”

“What’s up?”

“Nothing.  Why?”

“Aaron,” he admonished.  “What’s rolling around in your head?”

He sucked in a breath to start and then held it a minute before letting it slowly out and chewing the corner of his lip.  After some more thought, he inhaled again, “What if they don’t come back?”

Rossi squinted in thought, trying to work out the who and where.  “Why would you ask that?”

“Spencer said Garcia made a comment that she wasn’t sure she could separate from Charlotte for long periods of time.  And… I forced her into this job, Dave, it was this or jail time, but I really wanted her skills.  She’s… her… and maybe…”

“Hey.”  He waited for a reaction, “We’ll worry about that when it comes to it.  Right now she has tons of time off to bond and decide.  What else did Daddy Genius say?”

That elicited a smirk from the younger man, “He thinks she’s depressed.  JJ though… JJ’s used to keeping a different schedule, apparently so far she’s fine.”

“This job gets you used to odd hours.”

“As the media liaison, she is up and out even when we’re not.  She gets notices about cases before even we do, calls from locals.”  Finally, he turned his chair, “Weren’t you headed somewhere?”

“Norfolk.  Connors and North were both going to go with me, is that still okay?”

“Yeah, I don’t see why not.”

Dave studied him, “That’ll just leave you and Morgan rattling around here alone.”

Hotch shrugged, “We’ll be fine.  Just keep your phone on you and remember that’s a good three-hour drive in traffic’s good.”

“Sure thing.”

==

Emily was settled into Penelope’s sofa, Charlotte nestled against her chest, as her friend puttered in the kitchen.  “Hey, shouldn’t I be caring for you?”

“You need to sit there and let me do this.  I can bring you some tea and a snack.  I’m not broken.”  Her voice rose.

“Pen!  It’s okay, I get it.  I’ll wait here.  I do need to find a better position though; my back is killing me.”  She tried to reach a pillow down by her feet to use as back support, but couldn’t reach it.  “I miss reaching stuff!”

“Don’t wake that baby.”  Garcia reprimanded lightly.  She appeared from the kitchen, “Tea and cake.  See.  This is what I do, who I am.  I’m good.”

Emily hesitated with a piece of cake halfway to her mouth, “Who are you convincing there?”

“Spence, well, myself too I guess.  He’s worried about me.”  She sighed and took a bite of cake.

“He’s a dad now, he’s going to worry forever.  Once he’s past the freaking out stage, he’ll mellow I bit I bet.”

“I hope.”

“Yeah, I hope.”  She sipped her tea.  “Wouldn’t it be weird if this baby was his too?”

A giggle bubbled out of the blonde, “Poor guy.  Three babies by three different women.  He’d be his own Springer episode!”  She chuckled some more over that idea, “Do you think he could be?”

“I honestly don’t remember.”  Emily shrugged.  “Could be.”

“We’ll tell the hospital to be prepared in case he faints.”

Emily glanced around the small living room.  She could see signs that Reid spent time there.  A forgotten book, a sweater.  “Where is he now?”

Penelope thought a second, “Probably JJ’s, he usually goes there part of the day when he knows Charlotte’s mostly asleep.  He really is doing his best.  I mean, he was sort of thrust into this so…”

==

Dave was just settling into their hotel room when his phone rang, “Yes, Aaron?”

“Emily had another appointment and they are going to induce in the morning, will you two be back by then?”

“Yeah, we were just wrapping up.  We’ll get an early start first thing.  Is Morgan still going with her?”

“He says he is.”

“Good.  She’ll be fine then.  See you in the morning.”

“Yeah, you too Dave.  Bye.”

==

Unlike her pregnancy, labor for Emily had been blessedly short, though not painless.  It seemed like as soon as the drugs hit her system, her body went in hyper drive to get the baby out.  Morgan winced each time she squeezed his hand, but remained quiet.  He’d promised her that he would see her though and he intended to keep that promise.

Five and a half hours after starting the medicine, Emily was pushing he baby into the world.

“Stop pushing a minute.”  The doctor instructed.

“That’s a really hard thing to do!”  Emily shot back.

“Just trust me.”  The woman soothed.

Morgan did his best not to draw attention to himself.

“She has a head of hair.”  A nurse encouraged.  Morgan watched as the woman’s eyes widened.

“What?”  He leaned forward, further that Emily would have liked, just in time to see the head of hair become a whole baby, “Wow!”  He swallowed and stared at the baby, so much bigger than Charlotte was.

Emily made an ‘ooff’ sound when her daughter was put on her chest.  She looked from the baby up to Morgan.  “She’s here.  She’s here!” She began to laugh.

He smiled and her pleasure and getting to hold her baby.  When they took the baby to be measures, he leaned in, “I don’t really think she’s Reid’s.”

“With that hair?  I doubt it, but let’s wait and find out.”

The nurse brought the baby back, “Ten pounds twelve ounces.”

“Holy cow, that’s twice the size of Charlotte!”  Emily stared at her daughter and wondered at that.  “I’m naming her Sara.”  She looked up to Morgan, “Take a picture?  And can you tell the others she’s here?”

“Yeah, I can do that.”  He snapped a picture of mom and baby. 

“Are you sad none of them are yours?  I mean, we don’t know about her yet, but- are you?”

“I was adjusting to the idea I might be a dad and, yeah, I was excited, but, I’m still happy for you Em.”  He reached in and ran a finger through Sara’s soft hair.  “Now there’s a new Princess in town though.”  He laughed when she rolled her eyes.

==

Given the situation, the team was all permitted to sit in Emily’s room as long as they weren’t disturbing anyone else.  Hotch stared down at the newest addition to the group, studying her features and trying to work out who she looked like.  Someone sat beside him, “I don’t think this one is mine.”

Hotch smirked, “Are you relieved?”

“Maybe.”

Aaron looked up at his lover who was perched on the arm on the chair, braced along the back.

“I was watching… you look good holding her.”  Spencer stared down into Aaron’s eyes.  When neither broke the gaze, he leaned in slightly and Aaron met him halfway, brushing their lips together. 

“Oi!”

Both men jumped back, suddenly aware of the room full of their friends.  Both blushed.

“If you’re going to do that, give me my baby back first.”  Emily had her hands out.

Spencer didn’t make any attempt to move from his perch, so Hotch stood and returned baby to mom.  He returned to his seat as everyone else returned to their conversations and heard Spencer taking even breaths.  “You okay?”  He whispered.

“I just need a minute or two.”

He tilted his head in questioning

Reid leaned close to his ear and whispered, “I _really_ like seeing you in daddy mode like that.  Cradling a baby.”

Hotch pulled back and took in Spencer’s eyes, dilated to almost entirely black.  “Oh, really?”

==

Emily was waiting to be discharged, the doctor had held her up a few minutes.  The doctor stepped in, “Is everyone coming today?”

“Um, no, only my friend Derek.”

“Oh.  Well, this is the results of your paternity test.”  She handed over and envelope.  “I hope the father is just as ecstatic as you are about being a parent.

Emily peeked at the white paper, “Oh, wow.  Really?”

The doctor nodded.  “It won’t be a problem, will it?”

“Oh, no.  Not at all.”  She smiled as Morgan showed up.

==

The ‘family’ dinner was a boisterous affair.  Jack was getting passed around- and fed sweets- as much as the babies.  Finally Emily waved the envelope she’d kept quiet about, “I have Sara’s results and she finally has a last name.”  She grinned brilliantly.

Reid went white.

“Relax, Reid.”

“I’m not sure I can.”

“Well, Sara will officially and forever be…”  She paused for effect, seeing that pretty much everyone was holding their breath.  “Sara Rossi!”

Cheers went up and Hotch gave his friend a good-natured slap on the shoulder.  “You finally get to be a dad!”

“I- I’m speechless.”  His eyes filled, “I get to have a little girl.”


End file.
